Dominican Republic Rejects Human Rights Report

The Dominican Republic rejected a human rights report that accuses the government of discrimination following a controversial court ruling that will strip the citizenship of thousands of people in the country.

Earlier this year, a court decision ruled that citizenship would be revoked for people who were born in the country after 1929. A U.N. backed study estimated that nearly 210,000 Dominicans of Haitian descent would be affected, as well as 34,000 others born to parents of a different nationality. The government insists only about 24,000 people would be affected.

Now, according to The Huffington Post, a report released by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights claims the Caribbean country is deciding people’s nationalities based on private arbitration. Commission President Jose de Jesus Orozco said the organization received nearly 4,000 testimonies and complaints from people affected by the ruling.

The administration of Danilo Medina, president of the Dominican Republic, criticized the report in a statement, calling it a “subjective, partial and unilateral version” of the issue.

“The government is acting in accordance with our constitution,” the statement read,” And, as such, it will follow the court’s ruling.”

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